The Megan McClung Marine Corps League bade farewell to Michael McClung, former commandant of the league bearing his daughter’s name.
McClung passed away suddenly and unexpectedly of natural causes at home on July 2.
The Patriot Guard Riders honored the family with a ride prior to the memorial service and escorted the family to the CPO Club on Ault Field Road.
In attendance was his wife, Re, family and friends.
“He always came by with a joke and a smile and always had a story to share,” Mike McClung Jr. said.
“My father taught me that you shouldn’t do something because you’re asked, just do it.”
His younger brother, Stewart McClung, said that Michael McClung and he were very competitive athletically, but that the older brother always seems to win.
“I’m fine with that second place status,” Stewart McClung said. “Those are some good memories. He was great.”
“Mike was always someone who was good to fix what needed to fixed. He also taught me to be prepared and keep my head on a swivel.”
Acting Commandant Bab Gabelein listed Michael McClung’s many charitable endeavors including creating high school scholarships and coordinating the league’s Toys for Tots program.
Michael McClung organized the Whidbey Marine Corps League’s Toys for Tots toy drive each year along with his wife.
Because his daughter Maj. Megan McClung was killed in the month of December, an important time to the family, McClung said he did Toys for Tots to make sure no child is left behind at Christmas time.
The Toys for Tots donations supported Tree of Hope, Holiday House on North and South Whidbey, Department of Social and Health Services and Navy-Marine Corps Relief.
Mike McClung was quoted as saying, “Marines never leave anyone behind.”
“Mike was a dedicated member of the League,” Gabelein said. “I offer my sincere condolences to Re, the family and many friends of Michael McClung.”
Michael McClung organized an annual run in honor of his daughter who was killed in Iraq in 2006 and was the first female U.S. Marine Corps officer killed in combat during the Iraq war.
She volunteered for duty with the Army’s 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, operating in Ramadi, and was killed when her Humvee struck an improvised explosive device after escorting a FOX News crew to the Governance Center and a Newsweek reporter to a Coalition outpost in the city.
Megan McClung was awarded the the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and National Defense Service Medal. The Whidbey Island Marine Corps League renamed the organization in her honor.
Michael McClung was a Vietnam veteran and earned the Vietnam Service Medal, a Purple Heart, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross and many other medals.
He also organized an annual 5k in his daughter’s honor.
The race raises money for the Semper Fi fund, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to wounded Marines and other members of the armed forces injured in support of Marine forces.
The Patriot Guard Riders were at attention during the entire memorial service in honor of Michael McClung, his service and his family.
The Patriot Guard Riders is group from across the nation comprising both veterans and civilians.
What they have in common, according to their mission statement, is an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security.
These include fallen military heroes, first responders and discharged veterans. Their main function is to attend the funeral services of as invited guests of the family.
See Michael McClung’s obituary on page 10.
